Each year, DQC tracks state legislation that governs the collection and use of education and workforce data. Since 2014, we have reviewed data legislation in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to highlight key themes, promising trends, and next steps for policymakers.
In 2023,
data-related bills were introduced in 44 states and DC.
of these bills were signed into law in 26 states and DC.
Three States Passed Cross-Agency Data Governance Laws
This year, DQC’s review of data-related legislation found that three states introduced and enacted legislation addressing cross-agency data governance—the most important step that states must take to make robust access to data possible.
Alabama, Montana, and Rhode Island now join California, Kentucky, Maryland, and North Dakota to serve as models for other states by bringing together leaders from cross-sector agencies to share a table and make transparent decisions about data.
Additional Promising Trends
Our review highlights three additional areas that state lawmakers are making progress in to support data access:
- Funding SLDSs: Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Rhode Island, and Washington, DC, funded their SLDSs through legislation. Missouri and Washington, DC, took an additional step to specifically provide funding to staff their data systems.
- Centering privacy: Seventeen states introduced 31 bills governing data privacy, and three of those states passed a total of three privacy laws. Most bills focused on mandating safeguards for student data use by regulating third parties that provide education technology services.
- Ensuring greater access to data for decisionmaking: New laws in Texas and Virginia focused on supporting students’ academic journeys by providing families with information on their student’s K–12 performance or by providing students and families with information about what comes after high school.
Education and Workforce Data Legislation Review: What Happened in 2023?
The Data Quality Campaign tracks legislation in all 50 states and the District of Columbia with provisions that expressly affect the collection and use of education data. The numbers included in this summary reflect bills introduced and laws enacted by August 31, 2023.
DQC has been tracking and summarizing legislation since 2014. See our topic guide to find data legislation reviews from previous years.
*This report was updated October 24, 2023 to reflect that four states had cross-agency data governance codified in law prior to the 2023 legislative session: California, Kentucky, Maryland, and North Dakota.
